BEREA -- City leaders planned a 2013 budget that protects its decreasing revenue while maintaining services and adding equipment, where needed.

They also are keeping a close eye on the Berea Municipal Court revenue and spending to avoid taking city money to help balance its budget.

City Council approved the budget at its Monday meeting.

Finance Director Dana Kavander said she is usually conservative with figures in the budget.

“We are doing pretty well considering the loss of revenue we are seeing,” she said.

The city had a $2.6 million general fund carryover from 2012 and expects that figure to be $2.1 million for 2013.

Many are saying it is no surprise that Berea, like other communities throughout Ohio, is seeing dwindling revenues since, they maintain, leaders in Columbus have balanced the state’s budget on the backs of cities and school districts. Two areas affected by this include inheritance taxes and money the state provides cities through its local government fund.

The city received $270,747 in inheritance taxes in 2011 and $321,685 in 2012. Because the state is eliminating that tax, Berea expects to see $20,000 this year and nothing after that.

State lawmakers also decreased funding to communities through the local government fund. Berea saw $849,676 from that source in 2011, $579,697 in 2012, and will receive only $215,388 this year.

“We have been talking about these issues over the last few years,” Kavander said. “We just went through and reviewed our expenses to offset the loss of revenue and see what we can cut in certain areas.”

Mayor Cyril M. Kleem created the Mayor’s Budget, Auditing and Management Committee this year that will help oversee and assist all departments and divisions. Its members include Kleem, Kavander, Assistant Finance Director Andrew S. Palcheff, Personnel/Safety Director Kenneth Adams, and Administrator of Operations Barbara Jones. Kavander said the committee is looking at everything with the help of department heads.

“We are also looking at all our contracts we have to help create additional savings,” Kavander said.

The city has several capital improvement projects set for this year. It budgeted $600,000 for road projects. Service Director R. James Brown told council at its work session he is developing a street list, which continues from last year’s review.

Other projects include parking lot improvements at City Hall, Coe Lake, police and fire stations; acquiring property, such as the former KFC building on Front Street for future development in the north end; the West Center Street bridge over the East Branch of the Rocky River; improvements to the service and City Hall buildings; a City Hall backup generator; two police cruisers; replacing the police station roof; Fair Street sewer rehabilitation and work in Barberry/Lindberg/Beech locations; Sprague Road waterline; Kraft Street waterline section replacement, and others. The city also is replacing lights with more energy-efficient lamps.

The Cleveland Browns is making a multi-million-dollar investment into its facility to bring more employees into that building from its First Energy Stadium in Cleveland. The organization asked the city to repair its roof at the Lou Groza Boulevard facility in Berea, so the city will borrow $250,000 from itself to pay for the project that is within the First Avenue Community Revitalization Area.

Kavander said the court, which has its own budget, originally predicted it would have a $14,000 loss in revenue. She said court administrators reviewed that figure and then provided higher projected revenue. The court still is projecting a $6,000 loss in revenue this year, however.

What has helped the city with court expenses this year is having Judge Mark Comstock agree to look at its health costs. Last year the city administration and council wanted court employees to pay 15 percent of their own health costs, like municipal employees do. Comstock did not want his employees to pay for that cost, so he and Clerk of Court Raymond J. Wohl have increased defendants’ fees that will go into a special fund for that purpose. The city also has a better monthly check of court expenditures, which it will review to further reduce the court’s revenue dependency.

Automated trash collection also was projected to save the city money. Councilman-at-large Dean W. Van Dress noted that this year’s trash expenditure is about $850,000, which is down from $1 million last year. The city switched to the system in August, but it became mandatory throughout in November. Kleem said the switch has helped to save money.

“I usually see monthly bills in the $80,000-$82,000 range. Recently they have been in the high $60,000s. We are already seeing a savings,” he said. “Is the savings from the base bid and/or additional recycling we are seeing? I think it is both.”

Councilmen-at-large Dale Lange and Van Dress both said they feel comfortable with the $2.1 million year-end balance.

Kleem also agreed the budget was right for the city.

“It is a good budget when you take into account and consider the state cutting its funding to us in various ways and how we are controlling our expenses under those conditions, ” he said.

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